A snapshot of Sheffield's music sector

A snapshot of Sheffield's music sector reveals that Sheffield has the potential to be the UK's leading Music City.

Dan Sumption
Dan Sumption
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Sheffield positioned as one of the UK's leading Music Cities

A snapshot of Sheffield's music sector reveals that Sheffield has the potential to be the UK's leading Music City.

Building on Sheffield's famous musical heritage, the report outlines how Sheffield is a leading Music City with 788 organisations active in the music sector, 465 active bands, 70 rehearsal rooms and innovation across all music genres – including electronic, folk, free noise and rock. The report audits data from across South Yorkshire, as well as incorporating in-depth interviews with key leaders from across Sheffield's music scene.

The report was compiled and written by Sheffield's Sensoria Festival

Key findings

  • New report gives first ever snapshot of Sheffield's thriving music sector.
  • Sheffield boasts 465 active bands, 65 recording studios and 69 venues.
  • Report recommends further collaboration to catapult Sheffield's talent pool into professional careers.
  • The term 'Music Cities' was first coined by Music Canada. The international organisation researched cities across the world and identified a basic framework of elements that apply to Music Cities, based on the quality of artists, spaces, engaged audiences and music-related businesses.

Recommendations include:

  • More availability of mid-sized music venues.
  • Collaborative campaigns to promote all aspects of Sheffield’s music scene.
  • More support for the production sector – increasing the industry's economic impact.

We know that Sheffield has a rich music history and an outstanding music scene – that's why Sensoria gets better each and every year. This report gives us the full music industry snapshot for the first time and shows how Sheffield is well-positioned to be the UK's leading Music City.

JO WINGATE, DIRECTOR OF SENSORIA, THE UK'S FESTIVAL OF MUSIC, FILM & DIGITAL

Report: Music (PDF, 2.8MB)

Article: UK 'Music City'